from Kerry Fraser of TSN,

As we move through the third week of the NHL season, there have been a number of incidents involving contact with the goalkeeper. Some resulted in penalties being assessed or goals disallowed, while in other cases the contact was deemed incidental and goals were allowed to stand.

I acknowledge, as most of you have, that this call can really be a tough one for any referee to correctly make given the speed and traffic jams that occur as players crash the net. I have harped on the fact that Referees' positioning and the resulting sightline gained is the overriding factor in making the correct judgment. In too many instances the Refs are not reading the play in advance and moving their feet to gain the best possible sightline. This is a "bread and butter" call for NHL Referees that can impact a game similarly to pass interference in the end zone of an NFL game or Super Bowl! There needs to be better instruction/accountability from the Officiating Department in this critical area before the shortened NHL season gets any shorter.

Let me provide you with my ruling on the two goalkeeper interference penalties that were called on Super Bowl Sunday in the Ottawa-Montreal game.

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